We've heard the phrase, "It doesn't matter how you win, as long as you win," for years. It makes sense in pro sports, where it is your job to win, but if you win by playing boring, non-creative hockey is it still worth it?

If you ask fans of the LA Kings they will surely say they love Kings' hockey, and it is easy to see why since they've won six straight playoff series. However, I find myself turning off the TV and tuning out of their games on a nightly basis this year.

In 13 playoff games this year the Kings have scored a paltry 26 goals, two goals/game and they've had 29+ shots only five times. Last year, enroute to their first Stanley Cup the Kings scored 57 goals in 20 games, 2.85 goals/game and in 10 of their 20 games they had 28+ shots and in six of those games they fired 37+ shots.

The Kings weren't nearly as offensively challenged/boring last year. This year the Kings have decided to win with boring, uncreative hockey. It works for them, but don't confuse that with exciting or entertaining. Don't let close games fool you into believing they are entertaining. Just because every game is a one goal game shouldn't mean it is exciting.

The Penguins are exciting. The Bruins are exciting, the Hawks/Wings are exciting but the 2013 LA Kings are not.

I wonder if fans have been duped into believing this style of play is actually entertaining? Do you watch games to see guys be smart away from the puck, make no mistakes, pack five guys in front of the net and skate fast with little creative flair?

I'm sorry, but I don't believe you should pay players four, five or six million dollars because they chip and chase, dump it out of their zone and create little to no offence. The game has much more potential than that, but I feel the culture of hockey has started to brainwash people into believing that defensive hockey is the way to go. Many coaches use it because it is easier to play and easier to control, rather than asking players to be creative and allowing them to make mistakes.

You can find many players who can skate fast, dump and chase the puck, and never try anything creative. Those types of players are a dime a dozen, and it seems the NHL would rather groom that type of player than allow those with skill to flourish.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a rarity in today's NHL. They encourage creativity, and they are proving you can win with it.

The Penguins have scored 4+ goals in 9 of 11 playoff games. They've had 30+ shots in 8 of their games, and they've given up 30+ shots eight times as well. That is entertaining hockey.

They attack, and in doing so they do expose themselves to allowing the other team some scoring opportunities. Is Dan Bylsma a bad coach because he doesn't preach defence every second of every shift? I don't think so.

I don't buy the argument that the Kings can't play more offensive. They have plenty of skilled players in Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Justin Williams, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, yet they rarely attack.

The biggest fallacy in the game is that you can't play offensive hockey and keep your goals against down at the same time. The Penguins are proving that you can.

Marc-Andre Fleury was brutal in three games, but since he was replaced by Tomas Vokoun the Penguins have still been able to produce numerous goals without surrendering many.

Are the Kings really benefiting that much more than the Penguins by playing such an atrociously boring style of game? Are the enticing more fans to want to watch? No chance.

Is winning so important that you have to make the game almost unwatchable? I hope most fans realize that the Kings' style of play is not exciting or entertaining. They win, but unless you are diehard Kings' fan I'd hope you don't appreciate it or enjoy their games.

IT IMPACTS LOWER LEVELS

The way the Kings play the game does impact amateur hockey. A lot of the talk surrounding minor hockey in Canada today is focused on the decision by Hockey Canada to ban body checking until bantam. This decision was based solely on player safety, and it is hard to argue with that when you realize that 95% of the kids playing won't play in the CHL, NCAA or NHL.

However, according to Steve Serdachny the skating and skills coach of the Edmonton Oilers and the owner of Serdachny Powerskating and Hockey body checking isn't the major issue within hockey right now.

"The biggest epidemic we have in amateur hockey in Canada is the inability of young players to give and receive passes," Serdachny said on my radio show yesterday.

Serdachny teaches hockey camps around the world, and when he compares the average Canadian youth to kids in Europe our skill development is much lower. We aren't teaching the basic skills often enough.

Too many coaches focus on system play, and that is a major problem. It is easier to teach kids where to stand on the ice than it is to teach them how to accept passes from different angles and different body positions. The LA Kings have some elite level players, but the style of game they play doesn't allow those skills to flourish.

It is all about system play. Stay in your lane, pressure the puck carrier and think defence first.

I'd love to see Hockey Canada implement a limit on the amount of time coaches spend on system play until kids are in peewee. Most of practice time should be spent on improving kid's skating and puckhandling skills. What is the point of learning a system, if the kids don't have the skills to make a play when the get the puck?

It is ridiculous to watch kids in novice learning what their coach deems a "system." Teaching kids basic positioning and the rules of the game like icing and offside are imperative, but we are not spending enough time helping the average player improve their passing skills. When a coach like Serdachny, who teaches hockey camps around the world, recognizes that the skill of the average young Canadian hockey player is significantly less than kids in other countries we should take notice.

COLD HARD CASH...

We have finalized our Ultimate Sports Fan Package, and our final prize is $1,000 in cash. AWESOME.

For the third consecutive year we are doing our Ultimate Sports Fan package for charity. On June 8th I am riding in the 190km MS Bike Tour, and I've come up with a pretty good package for the diehard sports fan. Click here and donate $100 and you will get one entry into the draw. If you donate $200 you get two entries and so on.

We only take 100 entries and we will raise $10,000 for MS. We have 72 entries left and the draw is next Thursday, June 6th.

One of Canada's most versatile sports personalities. Jason hosts The Jason Gregor Show, weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m., on TSN 1260, and he writes a column every Monday in the Edmonton Journal. You can follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JasonGregor

The LA KIngs are taking a page out of the "Rangers's" playbook..........dump and chase, and crash the net.

As boring as this is ........it seems to be working for the Kings. I doubt anyone will remember how boring they were to watch when the rise the cup. I for one will continue to watch Chicago.......I hope when the Oilers grow up they play just like them.

How much of this type of play could be blamed on systems play? Gone are the days of a player just being better/more talented than his opponent.

Kids make it to the NHL on their raw talent and abilities, and then once they arrive, they're trained to do something different. Looks a lot like dead puck era hockey again, especially after the first round. Be great to see the Kings get blown out of the water by the Blackhawks.

This just couldn't be further from what I've been watching. The LA St. Louis series was war. The San Jose series went to game seven, with Quick and Niemmi making spectacular saves. That's why it was a low scoring series. Punishing hits on every play, constant pressure. If that is boring hockey then what on earth is exciting hockey? The 9 - 5 Pens Philly games form last year? Please. Why not just go watch a game of shinny.

LA has had some of the most complete hockey series I've seen with amazing offence, defence, and incredible gaol tending. What are you asking the coach to do? Open up his seems for the sake of making the game more exciting?

Don't get me wrong Gregor I love the way the Oilers play and an Oilers Hawks game is about as good as it gets for my money, but I have to disagree that the LA playoffs have been boring hockey. Nashville, Detroit last year was boring hockey.

They can easily open up the game by calling the freakin' rules that are already in place.

They call everything in September (remember the Oilers getting a penalty for jumping into the faceoff circle too fast?) including one handed hooking, one handed holding, intereference, etc.

By May, you can pretty much impede anyone all the time. The front of the net is a rugby scrum.

Teams like LA and even Detroit are holding and hooking and slowing down the game all over the place. Detroit seems to be experts at holding the stick. The only goals seem to come off lucky deflections or rebounds.

The reffing is frankly a farce. No other sport changes the rules 3 times a year.

Winning is everything. I'm so sick of seeing the lowly Oilers in the bottom of the standings. If you watched game 7 last night the Kings defense were able to gain the neutral zone after a turn over, with patience and make a solid pass that lead to a zone entry. If the Oilers are ever going to make the playoffs we need a #1 defense man that can log huge minutes and get the puck to our forwards in the neutral zone.

However I have a funny feeling that if Nichushkin, and Monahan are off the board, the Oilers #7 (Lindholm) will be traded for a defense man.

Does Hemksy and the 7th overall + get you a legitimate franchise defense-man?

I know it wasnt popular at the time, but I was a huge fan of those Devils teams in the late 90's and early 2000's. Most cried about the trap but I loved watching those guys play. Lots of odd man rushes for the Devils back then, the best goalie in the world, and Scott Stevens was playing a brand of hockey that would make Shanahan crap his pants. It was spectacular.

It's not like the Kings are running out a no name team of misfits like the Wild used to do. They have some world class players.

I agree with Gregor. I can see how the hitting/grinding aspect to the kings style can be appealing to some (Strudwick said on the radio that he finds the kings exciting becuase of all of the battles). However, for my entertainment dollar, I want creative playmaking and lots of scoring chances - the kings have little of either. They are like a ream of robots who work hard and skate fast. The hard work entertains some fans, and I do not pass judgment on that.

I just find creative playmaking and 5-3 scores a lot more entertaining than unrelenting defensive systems play and 1-0 or 2-1 scores.

I am definitely cheering for a Chi-Pit final. As recently discussed on this site, other teams copy the styles of winners. I don't want an era of NHL where everyone is copying the Kings.

Regarding the reffing, I agree that it is frustrating how much the rules change from the regular season to the playoffs. The calls are ticky-tack in the extreme at the beginning of the season, and obstruction rules are out the window in the playoffs.

If they could fall somewhere in the middle and do it consistently, I think it would be a big help.

I think the Bruins-Leafs series may have some effect on this. Nobody cared when the Bruins mauled the Nucks. When the Bruins mauled the leafs, media in the east cried bloddy murder. For the record, can't stand the nucks (mainly because of their fans) or the leafs (mainly because eastern media shoves them down my throat). However, my sense is that the leafs nation feel wronged by the officiating in that series, and the league might actually pay attention to them.

Comical, lots of fans here complaing it's boring, but who probably were the same fans who watched the 06 team play a 1-2-2 or trap their way to a cup final. We liked it then. If you are a fan of the team you won't complain at the time.

Well, it is exciting for fans when your team is still in the playoffs. The Oilers in '06 didn't play a scintillating brand of hockey, and yet I would be elated if a playoff run like that occured once a decade.

I'm sure every team would play way more offensively if they had Crosby, Iginla, Letang and Malkin, calibre players.

So having Kopitar, Carter, Brown, Richards, and Doughty isn't enough to play an up tempo attacking system? I think it's coaching that's killing the excitement level. A coaches job is to win or he won't have a job, since defense is easier to teach and play that's what we get. Sutter is the most boring person in hockey, and his team plays just like it. I wish if teams scored 4 or more goals in a game, they get an extra point in the standings. It would encourage offense. Although in the playoffs it obviously wouldn't work.

They can easily open up the game by calling the freakin' rules that are already in place.

They call everything in September (remember the Oilers getting a penalty for jumping into the faceoff circle too fast?) including one handed hooking, one handed holding, intereference, etc.

By May, you can pretty much impede anyone all the time. The front of the net is a rugby scrum.

Teams like LA and even Detroit are holding and hooking and slowing down the game all over the place. Detroit seems to be experts at holding the stick. The only goals seem to come off lucky deflections or rebounds.

The reffing is frankly a farce. No other sport changes the rules 3 times a year.

I can't watch it. I can't wait until the playoffs are over.

This is bang on. There's no question that the LA SJ series had some great intensity, spectacular goaltending and some big hits....but the league has let things go back to a clutch fest.

Frankly the turning point seems to be the Van. Bos. final where the refs ate their whistles and ever since the holding and grabbing has been on the rise. The NHL officiating these playoffs is embarrassing. It's so inconsistent from game to game and series to series.

The NFL seems to be pretty popular and they don't adjust the officiating at all for the playoffs. You don't suddenly need to haul a guy down completely for a pass interference in the Super Bowl

Agreed, I only tuned in for the last 10 minutes to see who would win. I preferred watching the Penguins series and the Detroit/Chicago series because there was actually skill hockey in those two series. Rangers and Kings games are really tough to watch for 60 minutes.

"The biggest epidemic we have in amateur hockey in Canada is the inability of young players to give and receive passes," Serdachny said on my radio show yesterday."

This has been a huge problem for the Oilers too.

YES. Pucks bouncing off sticks. Passes to wrong side of the body. Not getting open. Not passing to openings. This has been frustrating to watch for a few years. Particularly since the Oilers have had problems just getting possession of puck only to quickly turn it over again.

I think since the original CANADA/USSR series, the superior puck handling ability of Europeans has been obvious. The gap is closing but it's still there.

Perhaps Hockey Canada could look at getting rid of offsides and icings in the younger age groups. Make it more like pond hockey, or some sort of hybrid.
I'm sure the kids would have fun. I'm sure their puck handling skills would improve and the pressure would be off the coaches to teach systems. Especially at U10 levels.

@Jason gregor Jason, I agree with you a 100%. There is way to much system play within the younger levels of minor hockey, which needs to change asap. However I have to slightly disagree on the LA Kings. Is it riverboat hockey? No. But it is hard nosed, aggressive playoff hockey and I will take that anyday. I think the media is making this a bigger story then it is. I would love the oilers to be able to play a system that would let them win whether it be defensive or offensive. As a die hard fan you just want to see your team WIN!! I will use GSP and MMA as an example. I am a die hard GSP fan, have been since the start. He takes slack every fight for taking it to the ground, and never being able to finish. I could careless!! As long as he wins, I love the fight! It seems that there is a different style of play in the NHL winning the cup every year, and I think thats great for the game of hockey. You need teams like LA, STL, and NYR in the NHL just as much as you need the PITT, CHI, and DET of the world. To me having those different styles in the game is only a good thing.

**EDIT** And as a hockey fan I would also have to disagree that i am "DUPED" into thinking this is entertaining hockey...come on man..

Torts fired from NYR. If anyone suggests he comes to EDM, they should be punched in the head (apparently thats legal this time of year).

Not only team defense, but d-men that can pass the puck and forwards in position that can receive it. Watching the third period yesterday, the one thing that struck me is how rare it was to see the D on either team rim the puck compared to watching an Oilers game. The D on both LA and SJ would take a hit if needed to make a tape to tape pass to a foward that was in position for it. Not having the wingers fumble around for a puck along the boards makes the break out so much easier to manage............

Again, until the Oilers upgrade the blue line the team will not go anywhere regardless of how big the forwards are and stellar the goalie is.

Comical, lots of fans here complaing it's boring, but who probably were the same fans who watched the 06 team play a 1-2-2 or trap their way to a cup final. We liked it then. If you are a fan of the team you won't complain at the time.

The Oilers had 4+ goals 9 times that playoffs, and had 3+ 14 times out of 24 games.

They scored 70 goals that year. The Oilers generated chances and gave up chances.

The Oilers weren't an offensive team this year. Using them as an example of an offensive team is laughable and inaccurate.

They didn't score many goals ES and they didn't generate shots. They were 26th in the league in SF, and 29th in SA. So, while not shooting they gave up a lot. Opposite of the Kings. The fact the Kings/Sharks generated as few shots as as the Oilers only proves how awful and unexciting that series was.

This article is kind of depressing Jason. Playoff hockey is boring & kids are not learning fundamentals anymore.

I would love to disagree with you Gregor but watching the playoff over the last couple of years, this seems to be the case. That L.A./StL series was pretty entertaining but I'm getting pretty sick of watching almost every shot get blocked by a player tht is not the goalie.

It seems like playing stronger defence than offence wins championships in most sports these days. Remember when spectator sports were fun to watch?

Also, how are kids not learning how to handle the puck anymore? who is coaching these kids? I played minor hockey not too long ago & we practised passing all the time. Strange.

The Oilers weren't an offensive team this year. Using them as an example of an offensive team is laughable and inaccurate.

They didn't score many goals ES and they didn't generate shots. They were 26th in the league in SF, and 29th in SA. So, while not shooting they gave up a lot. Opposite of the Kings. The fact the Kings/Sharks generated as few shots as as the Oilers only proves how awful and unexciting that series was.

You beat me to it...

but these are the contortions a troll must go through...

At any rate, it's worth noting there's a matter of personal taste here, I don't doubt the sincerity (nor does it appear do you) of those that enjoy tight, defensive-system hockey, I just radically disagree with them and assume they hold a minority position.

I agree and both teams have stellar defensive corps but suggesting there were few scoring chances is just wrong.

Teams like LA and SJ are not going to try and play river hockey when they know that won't be successful.

Interesting thing is the Oilers are going to be moving into a division with 3 of the biggest and heaviest teams in the league in LA, SJ and Anaheim.

It'll be interesting to see how MacT adapts.

The shots were 5-3 in the 1st period and I hardly watched a minute after that. If I wanted to see hardly any scoring or scoring chances, then I'd tune into a soccer match. I completely dislike the watching the Kings. Winning hockey, yes - far from entertaining though.

Everyone that complains about the kings, knows what their going to get but then comes and complains and says they couldn't watch a minute of it... I have an easy fix, dont watch it.

There needs to be these kind of teams in the NHL. Are they predominant in the NHL? I would argue no, but the NHL needs and always will have varied styles of systems in the league thats the bottom line.

Thats what confuses me about people and media complaining about it. There always have been and always will be teams like the kings. Dont watch it if you dont like it...Simple

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a rarity in today's NHL. They encourage creativity, and they are proving you can win with it.

Of course you can win with creativity. All you need is two of the best players in the world. I guess all everyone else needs to do is somehow acquire the services of Crosby and Malkin and we can see a lot more of this offensive and creative hockey.

I think the playoffs shot it's load with that Leafs collapse and subsequent hilarity that followed.

As for specific games and series... I simply can't get too amped about any of it. Winter was 763.6 days long, the weather has been awesome, CBC gets its choice of games and are the biggest farce in broadcasting.... soooooooo. f them.

as for the Kings specifically, lets hope they get smoked in the next round so the lemmings that run NHL clubs can run in a more intriguing direction.

Who cares none of these teams are the Oilers, nor do any of us know anymore what playoff hockey is sadly.

However when it's a debate on what is entertaining hockey.. The score usually doesn't have anything to do with it, nor does that mean Kings hockey is exciting, because it's not. But they work with the team they have. LA has been building this team to look the way it has, since it seen Anaheim do it.

As a fan it's incredibly frustrating to watch the league allow the refs to completely abandon any sort of flow from the start of the season until the end. It's handicapping teams, how do you build your roster if the regular season games are Ref'd differently then the playoffs. You can only have one roster of players, one style of play. We crave to see the superstars put on a show, but we're left with a bunch of stone hands deciding the glory in the end. The clutch and grab antics is going to kill the game again.

DSF, how much wood could a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?

It depends on the era of hockey that people grew up in that they determine which style of hockey is better. Personally I prefer the back and forth style with lots of chances with skill typed players. A 2-1 game can be exciting if there is good quality chances and lots of shots which makes the goalies stand on their heads. But most times its just perimeter shots and lots of blocked shots in those 2-1 games and each team is just waiting for the other to make a mistake. I enjoyed the memorial cup final more than the LA/San Jose series since it was more skill and good quality scoring chances than just who out muscled the other team.

The issue of developing youth sports is a real concern across Canada and in most disciplines. As a culture, we tend to be very passionate when our athletes are on the world stage but would never consider applying tax dollars to developmental programs. Most 'developed' countries have much greater dedication to engaging kids in bona fide sport programs. Many schools offer advanced training, community based programs are top notch etc. In Canada, we just don't have the infrastructure, coaching , programs in place to generate world class athletes. Clearly, there are exceptions - e.g. hockey has some really good districts - but on the whole we don't have the necessary systems in place. It would take a few generations to see a significant change in this respect.

"Teams like LA and SJ are not going to try and play river hockey when they know that won't be successful."

This is the crux of the issue.

LA plays that way because they can do it as well as anyone - Boston is the same. Pittsburgh plays their game because they can do it as well as anyone - same as Detroit before them. LA would not be as successful if they tried to match skill vs. skill against teams like SJ, Detroit, Vancouver or Chicago. They do what they have to do.

Pittsburgh and Chicago are unique in having an immense amount of skill, and they use it to its fullest when the game is opened up, and they can outclass their opponents.

The Oilers are building their roster around the strengths of their core pieces, and that's probably smart. However, I would rather watch them win stanley cups playing boring hockey than lose year after year of exciting hockey. Against Detroit in 2006 the Oilers played boring hockey, and succeeded doing it - it was the only way. I was ecstatic.

Other than for the few most highly skilled teams, defensive systems are the most effective way to succeed.

Minor hockey should be teaching skill first and foremost though. Winning at most costs at that age is for rep teams, and presumably those kids will have enough ice to work on both skills and systems.

Yeah it's nice to see the media calling these teams out for what they are:boring.

I thought sports were supposed to be fun for the fans to watch?

Their fans seemed to be having a blast! Is a sports team supposed to make it exciting for THEIR fans. Especially in the playoffs, I don't think the LA Kings gives a damn whether fans everywhere else around the league find them entertaining. When they were marching down the street on their Stanley Cup parade in front of thousands of their cheering fans, I'm sure management doesn't think much about what everyone else thinks.

Pretty sure too when the Oilers were winning their cups in the 80's, every other fanbase hated them. Fans green with envy always find something to complain about successful teams yet if we had the LA Kings here in town and they were the defending cup champs and making another run to repeat this year, we would be beside ourselves in how AWESOME the team is. DSF of course would break down the advanced statistics to show how the team is really not as good as they seem and it's just a matter of time before they crash and suck. All this negativity toward winning hockey is just his attitude rubbing off on the rest of us. Be better!